Blog Stats

Where my Old writing lives!

Hire A Comedian Or A Writer (#349)

There’s something going on out there, people. It’s called the internet. If you’re smart, you can even land a job working with it. It’s not even too hard. You just have to do what most of you are doing here – BUILD A PLATFORM. Have great content. Show initiative and innovation.

If this is what you think I mean by “platform” -well- then I kinda like you.

There’s a problem though – you can’t ONLY be on WordPress. You need to diversify. Now, if you’re only here as a writer that’s fine. Remain as you are. Remain your lovely writerly self – toiling away at the typewriter. BUT, if you want to sell something (your own product) or if you want to land a social media job or a web producer job or a content manager job or a brand manager job or a digital producer, coordinator, associate job – then diversify.

(And yes, that’s how many names there are for what I do. If you want a job in those areas, google them all.)

Be on more then one platform. Actively. Yeah, it’s a lot to do. But, work is just that – work. As most of you have guessed by now – I’ve landed a job. A job that I like. My job is with a production company and specifically for one television show. We’ll call the production company Mine Media and we’ll call the television show “All American Family Style Slapstick,” so AAFSS for short. I’m calling my gig at AAFSS by this made up name because I’d like to continue working there AND I want to talk about it at the same time. So, we’re going to have to anonymize it. We’re going to have to go with AAFSS. However, if you’re really hankering to know where I work a few google searches should help you find it. (While you do that, I’ll quietly call the police and alert them to the fact that you may be stalking me.) If you can’t do a google search then you probably shouldn’t go for a career in the interwebs anyway.

So, my job at AAFSS is interesting. Everyday I’m learning. Paid to learn -even- and that’s exactly what I wanted. Yet, as I’ve said at least 1 million times here on this very blog – I want ownership over something and that means creating your own thing. The creating of my own thing can NOT stop happening. In fact, one thing needs to feed the other. The paid learning at my job-job has to be applied to the job product (tv show) and eventually to my own creation. That’s when I’ll truly have something.

I think – in the very immediate past – people have been pulled from marketing and public relations type jobs into the arena of what I do. In my personal opinion, that is a mistake.

If you are a company and you want to expand your web presence, enhance it, and make it something really special – you need to hire a comedian or a writer.

Why?

Because we can create on-message content – FAST. Not to mention if the writer or comedian is funny, then you have the added bonus of adding on-message humor to your content. It’s a win-win.

A marketing person usually can’t do that for you with the same aplomb. A writer or a writer/ comedian / blogger can.

Plus, who would you rather work with at first glance —

This guy…

Or this creature…I’m just sayin’.

I think this is a huge opportunity for all of you out there. Just as it was for me. Once I recognized that this is something I could do, wanted to do, and excelled at – positioning my resume in such a way was not difficult. Eventually, recruiters were coming to me. Seriously.

So, expand. Find a way to do what you do on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Google+, Reddit, AND WordPress. Prove you are strong across multiple platforms and you may just secure lucrative freelance or long term work in DIGITAL. It’s kinda awesome when you can make something happen out of nothing.

To further this discussion, once a week I’m going to produce a post called, “VIRALOCITY.” It will talk about an internet post, pic, video, blog, twitter feed, tumblr, etc, and why it went viral. It’s that simple. If this is not your thing, don’t worry. I’ll be back to talking about my personal life and all it foibles before you can say, “Feck, you bought a house?”

i’m with you, adrienne, and i’m really happy to have scored it. IT IS all consuming though and i’m going to have to carve out some way to work on my own sh*t. hope you are well and thank you for swinging by here. sm

One thing has been bothering me, though, since I started following your blog. To wit: your stated goal (and I will paraphrase or loosely quote, whatever) to produce 365 consecutive posts. Do you mean consecutively for 365 days? I am sure that’s not what you had in mind. Therefore, it begs the question as to how you could post 365 times and NOT have them be consecutive? I mean were you never planning on posting # 351 before posting # 350, were you? Sorry for being a bit douchey. I really do love reading your observations.

Finally, an iPhone question: why, when I want to type were does the dang thing want to type we’re? I wish iPhone wouldn’t iPhuck me up so much.

nope, not douchey at all and believe me people HAVE been douchey about my goals. let me reiterate that – MY goals. i will never for the life of me understand why my announcing something effects other people, but for me in this context consecutive means – one after the other with very little break in between. it would have been better to say, CONSISTENT or as quickly as possible or something like that because as you point out – the literal meaning of consecutive is one after the other. i suppose my original statement was – blog every day for 365 days, which lasted about 6 mos. then it was – blog as consistently as possible without too much of a break, which i called consecutive – but, you are right, if i blogged once and then didn’t blog again for a year and then posted on the 366th day that would still be consecutive. but, semantics, my friend. one thing i have learned blogging – if you pay too much attn to the details, you don’t blog as all because publishing with lots of frequency means things will NEVER be perfect. there will be typos, there will be grammar mistakes, you won’t always be able to answer comments, you’ll say consecutive when there should’ve been a better word choice. you have to put all of that aside and say, i will publish ANYWAY. so, in this context you’re going to have to give me some leeway. and now the goal has become – blog as much as my job will allow. my job is pretty taxing, so that has become – once during the week and once on the weekend. my hope is to eventually telecommute and that would allow my blog to be more consistent — for me, i’m hoping that will be – 2-3 times over the course of the week, once i’ve hit 365 posts. so, you are right, my friend and i am right (and sane) in letting these goals evolve. thanks for reading, i really and truly appreciate it, mr mike g. all the best, sm

It’s wonderful that you like your job. That’s almost unheard of these days (in the over 30 crowd). Gawd, I hope you’re over 30. You sort of look 27ish. Anyways, is running up your follower count paramount to find the job of your dreams? Will I still be alive by the time M attains the big numbers and lands a full time gig? Will I have tacos for supper tonight? BTW, thank you for the info. I used to hang with a former Green Bay Packer named Jim Sullivan who was about 6’8″. He asked me jokingly, “Why don’t you give me a job in your grocery store? (This was back in the 70’s). I said, “What job do you want? “YOURS,” he replied. Don’t worry, Becky, I’m not coming after your job.. We Canadian vagrants are extremely happy for you..

i love me some canadian vagrants, he who. 😉 yep, i like it. it’s taxing, but i like it. i want to be able to create my own stuff, but i like it. so, i suppose i’m saying – it’s not perfect, but i like it. as for you – you’re always great. and that guy that wanted your grocery job – A-HOLE! unless you liked him then he’s not an a-hole. looool. xo, sm

Congrats on the job! Isn’t it great to do things you enjoy? I weaselled my way into my job from another position be essentially being really opinionated about our company website and the need to start using social media. Then I volunteered to help with that stuff. Now they made a job for me so that I can only do that stuff. Unfortunately they won’t let me be funny too. Oh well, that’s what my blog is for.

dirty, i can’t tell you how many people have told me that they have done just that. there’s such an opportunity out there for people who are interested in this stuff AND take the initiative. i’m not sure that was there a few years ago. anyhoo, i really appreciate you stopping by here and kudos for landing a role yourself. much love, sm

i know, MONEY – YEEEAAAAHHHHH! less blogging – waaaah. but, alas, we have to compromise. i’ll still be here tho, promise. oxo and we will do an interview at one point. i just have to get things to calm down. xoxo, sm

thks, lyssa. and thks for reading this and for saying something so ultra cool like, ‘awesome fly’ – you’re the bomb. and we WILL get that other idea off the ground. have to get this little house thing out of the way first. loool. much love, sm

congrats on the new job! That’s FANTASTIC! I know how much it sucks to go to a job that is SANS creative. I served 20 years in corporate hell for almost 15 years, and though I used my writing flair somewhat as a teacher, that’s nothing compared to your new occupational digs.

And THANK YOU so much for sharing this info. You’ve given me hope! I’ve been seeking a job where I can utilize my writing/creativity, etc., for YEARS. The closest I’ve gotten is doing script consulting/collaborating on a book with one of my clients for the last 4/5 years. I had no idea you were interested in TV. That’s so AWESOME.

I started out blogging on Gather.com in 2005, but with taking care of my Grandmother, it’s hard enough to eek out one post/week on here. But I’ve begun demanding that Max (my 20-year-old) help out more around the house and with his own shit (like today – asking me to call AT&T about his broken phone – AIN’T happening). And I’m hiring a fucking maid (at least part-time) if I have to sell crack in order to do so (yes, I’M JOKING – don’t call the damned DEA…:)) because I spend at least 5 hours/day cooking/cleaning, etc,, and that’s not cleaning top-to-bottom or anything, that’s just the BASICS, so we’ll have clean forks for dinner and clean skivvies in our drawers, LOL…no pun intended.

Oops…I tried to revise that…so it said – I served 15 years in corporate hell…but I accidentally hit POST COMMENT by accident when my cat jumped on my lap and startled me…LOL…but I’m sure you get the IDEA…:)

you know, tb, the stuff you speak of is so relevant. you have to figure out a way to ‘outsource’ some of that stuff. make your kid do more, hire a maid, etc. i’m working on the same sort of thing because to clear the way and clear some time for YOU to write THAT’S REALLY FECKIN’ IMPORTANT. and you’re such a good writer. if you could increase the frequency in some way and put yourself out there more (other platforms) i KNOW you’d score exactly what you want. regardless, know i’m pulling for ya. xoxo, sm

Thank you so much, Sweet Mother! And right back at ya…you’re a really great writer too. I was out of town last weekend, so I haven’t had time to do much, but I did set up a profile on tumblr. However, I couldn’t find you. Seems there were dozens of Sweet Mothers on there. What’s the URL for your particular site?

I uploaded a few photos on there, and that’s all I had time for last week because I was out of town last weekend. And last night I was up until midnight finishing my memoir entry for Writer’s Digest mega contest. I won 5th Place out of 18,000 entries in that contest in 2005 for one of my screenplays. And I’m hoping to go a little higher this time, maybe score a little more cash. As impressive as 5th Place might sound, that title only garnered a $50 cash prize and subscription to the magazine, LOL…

And there is finally a LIGHT on the horizon in that Nana finally qualified for Medicaid, but we don’t know how much they’ll cover for a nursing home yet, but I’ll keep everyone posted on that. But after talking to the case worker yesterday, who was a jerk, btw, I felt almost giddy knowing this long, miserable struggle to take care of her and put up with her insensitive bullshit might finally be over in a month or so! 🙂

Good to hear from you, and I’m sorry I didn’t have time to get a drink with you when I was in L.A. in March. Every time I go out there, it seems I blink, and it’s time to come home. However, definitely NEXT TIME.

I think you left ‘oomph’ out of your job description but that is what you have. 🙂 I’m really looking forward to this viralocity segment. The fun thing about learning something new is that it wakes your brain up. 🙂